How do you pronounce 玩火自焚?

玩火自焚 is pronounced wán huǒ zì fén in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 玩火自焚 literally mean?

Literally, 玩火自焚 means “Play with fire, burn oneself”. It is used to mean “to play with fire and get burned”.

Where does 玩火自焚 come from?

玩火自焚 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 玩火自焚?

玩：玩弄；焚：烧。玩火的必定会烧了自己。比喻干冒险或害人的勾当，最后受害的还是自己。

玩火自焚 — “To play with fire and get burned”

玩火自焚 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to play with fire and get burned”. To bring disaster upon oneself by engaging in risky or harmful activities; to suffer the consequences of one's own dangerous actions. Literally, “Play with fire, burn oneself”.

Frequency

玩火自焚 Pronunciation and Pinyin

玩wán
火huǒ
自zì
焚fén

玩火自焚 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
玩	wán	8	play, have fun
火	huǒ	4	fire, urgent, popular
自	zì	6	from, self, naturally
焚	fén	12	to burn

Example Sentence with 玩火自焚

他企图通过不正当手段获取利益，却不知道这是在玩火自焚，最终只会害了自己。

He tried to gain benefits through improper means, but little did he know he was playing with fire and would only end up harming himself.

Origin and Story of 玩火自焚

During the Spring and Autumn period, Gongzi Zhouyu of the State of Wey murdered his brother, Duke Huan of Wey, to usurp the throne. He then tried to rally states like Song, Chen, and Cai to jointly attack the State of Zheng.

Duke Yin of Lu asked Minister Zhong Zhong for his opinion on the matter. Zhong Zhong replied that such a cruel person would eventually be abandoned by all, and using military force was like playing with fire; without restraint, one would surely burn oneself.

Indeed, not long after, the people of Wey, with the help of the State of Chen, killed Zhouyu.

Idioms Related to 玩火自焚

Synonyms of 玩火自焚

zì自zuò作zì自shòu受suffer consequences of one's own actions

Antonyms of 玩火自焚

lè乐shàn善hào好shī施benevolent and charitable

More idioms starting with 玩

Questions about 玩火自焚

What does 玩火自焚 mean?: 玩火自焚 (wán huǒ zì fén) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to play with fire and get burned”.
How do you pronounce 玩火自焚?: 玩火自焚 is pronounced wán huǒ zì fén in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 玩火自焚 literally mean?: Literally, 玩火自焚 means “Play with fire, burn oneself”. It is used to mean “to play with fire and get burned”.
Where does 玩火自焚 come from?: 玩火自焚 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 玩火自焚?: 玩：玩弄；焚：烧。玩火的必定会烧了自己。比喻干冒险或害人的勾当，最后受害的还是自己。

Copy the pinyin for 玩火自焚 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.